24-second thoughts from Game 3 of NBA Finals

ORLANDO -- 24 -- So Orlando is 6-0 this season when 7-year-old Gina Marie Incandela sings the national anthem (Very nice job.). Does that mean she's guarding Kobe tonight?

23 -- 9:30, 1st quarter: The Magic open up the game 1-for-4, but open the game pushing the ball quickly up the floor. They get back in this series only by making the first pass in their offense before the Lakers get the defense set.

22 -- 5:39, 1st quarter: Kobe finally shakes free from the smothering defense of Gina Marie to knock down back-to-back jumpers for a 17-13 Lakers lead.

21 -- Anyone who is surprised by Rafer Alston's 3-for-3 start to Game 3 after shooting 3-for-17 in Games 1 and 2 has never followed Rafer's career. Just when you're ready to strangle him for hoisting one more jumper, he turns into Kobe Lite. For about 5 minutes.

20 -- 1:02, 1st quarter: It's actually been advantage Lakers in the first two games when Andrew Bynum gets early fouls, because that means Lamar Odom comes in. Will Pau Gasol getting his 2nd this early have the same effect.

19 -- End 1ST quarter: Kobe grabs the inbound pass, steps behind the arc, bangs home a 3-pointer and goes to the line to complete his four-point play and if you're the Magic, there's a lump in your throat. Because he's got 17 already and has that look again.

18 -- 9:12, 2ND quarter: How would you like to be Stan Van Gundy and the Magic, shooting 72 percent from the field and still down by five? Then again, there is that lack of defense at the other end.

17 -- Finding Hedo. For all the noise from the solid start by Dwight Howard and the early flash from Alston, don't you get the feeling that the Magic more than just a couple more of those treys from Hedo Turkoglu to come out on top in this shoot-out.

16 -- Where's Gina Marie when the Magic need her most? Kobe checks back into the game and it doesn't take long for him to have Mickael Pietrus tied up again in a pretzel knot.

15 -- Exactly what Orlando doesn't need -- a Lakers bench that goes deeper than just Odom. Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton make their presence felt.

14 -- When it comes to comparing celebrities sitting at courtside, how does a throng led by Jack, Denzel and Leonardo stack up against a lone Tiger? Well, how many majors have all those guys won?

13 -- 2:59, 2nd quarter: Who'd have figured the Lakers (nine) would be taking more 3-pointers than the Magic (seven)? Much of Orlando's success so far is because plenty of Howard's teammates are also going to the hole.

12 -- If you're the Magic, how do you set a Finals record by shooting 75 percent (24-for-32) in the first half and yet have only five-point lead at the half? One word: Kobe.

11 -- Who will be the one to get the message through to the 21-year-old Bynum that he's actually a 7-footer? When stops putting up those soft jumpers and slams the ball home, he take the next step the Lakers have been waiting on.

10 -- 6:52, 3rd quarter: What would Ron Artest say? Two rounds ago, Kobe nearly beheaded Ron-Ron with an elbow to the throat and it was Artest who wound up getting a technical foul after the play. Now Kobe reaches out to give Courtney Lee a love tap on the chest and is hit with an offensive foul.

9 -- If this had been the first two rounds of the playoffs, Lamar Odom would have received a technical foul, a $5,000 and an afternoon in detention with Principal David Stern for his gyrating protest of his foul on Howard. Things have changed lately and the refs have loosened up.

8 -- 2:31, 3rd quarter: For all of the big buckets (8-for-11) and eye-popping plays that Skip To My Lou has made in this one, it's the basic set-up assist to Rashard Lewis for an open 3-pointer that the Magic will need from Alston to survive in the fourth quarter. "Solid and simple," Stan Van Gundy said.

7 -- Look who's missed seven of his last eight shots entering the last 12 minutes. Are the Magic happy to see him sitting over there on the bench or do they figure he's getting himself worked up and angry for his return?

6 -- 8:46, 4th quarter: Orlando can't seem to push the lead up much from six. So isn't it time that Van Gundy gets his big man back into the game? We're talking, of course, about Rafer Alston.

5 -- 7:13, 4th quarter: That great inhaling sound you just heard coming from Florida was the sound of a jam-packed Amway Arena crowd holding its breath as Kobe stepped back onto the floor with the Lakers down 91-84.

4 -- Jeff Van Gundy's right. When Dwight Howard learns to take those offensive rebounds and passes into the post straight up without first putting it on the floor for a dribble, he'll be unstoppable.

3 -- 1:06, 4th quarter: Excuse me, Chauncey Billups. But Rashard Lewis needs to borrow that Mr. Big Shot nickname. Has anybody in the playoffs hit more big shots late than the Magic man? Oooh, but if only that right foot hadn't been toeing the line.

2 -- For all that Kobe has done, didn't the battle go to Mickael Pietrus tonight? He's been fearless on offense (7-for-11, 18 points) and has never once backed down from Kobe, forcing him to miss 11 of his last 14 shots. And he was no Nick Anderson either, hitting both clutch free throws with 28.7 seconds left.

1 -- It took them 20 years of franchise history, an all-time record shooting performance and a lot of tense moments down the stretch, but the Magic at long last get their first Finals victory ever, 108-104. Great. Now all they've got to do is duplicate it in Game 4 and hope that Kobe misses another five free throws.